Jeri Wagner, Dog Behavioral Therapist & Master Trainer with Bark Busters Home Dog Training chronicles her dog foster experience in the hopes of inspiring and helping others on their dog foster journey. Read along and meet Jamie!
The past two mornings have sure been early ones! On Wednesday, she made it to 2:45 am before barking and yipping – at least it was better than her first night. She was up again at 5:45 am, but because she had already been out for potty, I verbally corrected her and she lasted until 7:45. She was up at 5:00 am today, but after she peed she stayed quiet until 7:45 am. We did a leash training session for about an hour each morning before I crated her to eat her breakfast and give me time to get ready. With time, she may be able to stay out during meals, but that is a long way away.
Jamie is occasionally displaying aggression with Zoey (though Zoey mostly wants nothing to do with her – Zoey is almost 12 years old and Jamie has a lot of energy). On Wednesday, while in her crate, Jamie growled at Zoey when she approached. Both dogs were giving a small verbal correction since they were both in the wrong: Zoey needs to learn to not bother Jamie while she is in her safe place, and Jamie needs to learn to not resource guard her food. Today, Jamie went after Zoey when I went to take pretzels out of the cupboard – she thought I would be distributing them like a treat. Unfortunately, Zoey is starting to show signs of stress, so I’ll need to keep an eye on that.
Jamie had more supervised time out with everyone over the past two days to help her get used to our family and household. She is fearful of anything new, and remains on a leash and harness so I can more easily grab her in certain situations – for example, I am working on building trust and respect with Jamie around Craig and Jason; since she does not come when called (yet!), I can grab the end of the leash if she begins to make the wrong decision without having to grab at her or her collar. We’ve been working on closer greetings with Craig using treats, and she is taking them with ease after initial hesitation. She is growling at Craig and Jason less and less – some good news!
Less ideal is her continued resource guarding and food (human and dog) aggression issues. When Jamie is separated from Zoey, for example, I let her chew on antlers, which she loves. She can be possessive, however – Jason walked past while she was gated in the family room with her antler, and she let out a loud growl. I will continue to keep a close eye on her in these instances. Once she further settles in, we will test her to see how she does. The goal is to keep everyone safe, so management is key.
While Jamie is definitely taking time to acclimate, it’s important to remember that she is adjusting to new surroundings too. And there are plenty of positive signs! She is housebroken, and despite her and Zoey’s differences right now, she is good with other dogs. Her leash and door manners are improving, and while we are still working on her stays without a treat bribe, she is coming along nicely. I decided to start her on a melatonin/tryptophan calming treat, to help ease her mind and body and get her more into a calmer state so she can more easily learn the correct behaviors. I’m confident that she’ll get there – after all, we are just a few days into her stay!